Liver Gym to reverse damage opens at hospital

Chennai: In a first-of-its-kind in the country, ‘Liver Gym’, a multi-specialty health platform unit that focuses on reversing liver damage through a fitness plan, was opened at the Madras Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology Hospital (MIOT) at Manappakkam on Saturday. The liver fitness plan is a holistic programme chartered by MIOT specialists after an expert analysis of one’s liver health and exposure to risk factors that include lifestyle changes and correction across risk factors, liver surgeons said.

The initiative, known as the MIOT Gold Standard Program (MGSP) was launched on World Transplant Day and saw 180 patients registering for free liver check-up. From these, 40 cases of abnormal liver, 35 cases of diabetes and 15 cases of Hepatitis B were detected, hospital data showed. “The MIOT fitness plan is based on the fact that liver is the only organ that can regenerate and regain complete fitness, given time and care. Unlike other organs, the liver has around 3,200 functions in a human body and its disorder will affect the entire system,” said Dr R. Surendran, director, hepato-pancreatico biliary surgery and solid organ transplantation, MIOT hospitals.

The main intention behind this initiative is to make sure that people become increasingly aware of the status of their liver by conducting various blood tests and the need for liver transplantation reduces over time, he said.Also present at the Liver Gym’s opening ceremony were 110 patients who had recovered from liver complications after being diagnosed with liver ailments at late stages. Some of them spoke about their experiences during the course of the treatment. “I was consuming alcohol for the past 25 years. When I heard of this programme I thought of undergoing a liver check-up,” said K. Sukumaran, a railway employee from Chennai.